Photos courtesy of Brooke Foster and Talia Hincks
Hello readers!
Over spring break, Venture editors Brooke Foster and Talia Hincks ventured out to Pittsburgh, PA to speak at Sigma Tau Delta’s centennial convention, where they made new friends, lasting memories, and represented Rider at a national level!
The Pittsburgh convention was the main event, but our story starts back in October… While virtually presenting her research at the High Plains Regional Conference, Brooke connected with two students from Wichita State: Abby and Natalie. The trio bonded over a shared fascination with literary screen adaptations. Immediately, they started collaborating and invited Talia along to create a roundtable proposal for the national convention on the topic.
On March 20th, after a laboring eight-hour train ride the night before, Brooke and Talia finally presented their roundtable. Their theory? age-to-screen adaptations can do well, or poorly, depending on what message the media transmits, and what message society is ready to receive. Brooke discussed the differences in portrayal of disability and trauma within Netflix’s adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone [2021-2023]). Talia talked about the racism directed at Amandla Stenberg when she was cast as Rue in The Hunger Games (2011) – even though the character is canonically black. The research prep for this panel included auteur theory, as well as the concept Roland Barthes “Death of The Author” which both editors studied while taking ENG 240 with Rider’s very own Dr. Laurel Harris.
But wait- there’s more! On Saturday, Brooke continued her discussion of trauma within the Grishaverse by presenting the feminist awakening of Genya Safin in her paper titled “I Am Not Ruined, I am Ruination” (which you, dear reader, can listen to at the upcoming GSS Colloquium!).
When not presenting, both Talia and Brooke attended panels on creative writing, academic burnout, AI in the classroom, and many more. Talia’s favorite panel was “Children’s/Young Adult Lit: Harsh Realities” where, yes, Brooke presented her paper. All of the speakers for this panel had done fantastic research, and spoke on subjects which expanded on popular media. For example, while Talia never read the Twilight series, she was fascinated by a gender study comparing “Twilight” (2005) to its official genderbent revision “Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined” (2015).
Brooke’s favorite panel was “What Can You Do With an English Major?”, a workshop focused on promoting the “superpowers” writers possess that they just might not recognize. She loved putting together “I can” statements to turn her love of writing into the promotion of strong communication and analytical skills.
When not using their brains for academic use, Brooke and Talia wandered through Pittsburgh with Natalie and Abby, admiring the architecture and hiding from (or embracing) the cold wind. Coupled with some spontaneous singing, open mic night performances, and some late night fireworks, it is safe to say they had quite an unforgettable trip.
Brooke Foster and Talia Hincks